I am very interested in going to Mexico in the fall and attempting to find a school to teach in for 6 months. I am going to be completing an online ESL course, I also have 43 college credit hours in no particular area. I would be getting an FM3. What I am wondering is if it is very difficult to land a job in Mexico without a BA?
Thanks!

There are schools that will hire you without a BA and there are others that won't. Apparently some Migracion offices require a BA and others don't. Generally speaking, schools that require a BA pay better than those who don't. Of course there are exceptions. This is Mexico.

There is at least one chain of schools in Mexico, Harmon Hall, that will hire you with no BA and put you through there own month-long, unpaid training program. They are located all over Mexico.

That is something you might seriously consider, or at least attend a school that prepares you (somewhat) for a class room. I haven't taken an online course so I don't know, but realistically, how well could it prepare you for the realities of the classroom?

It's one thing to know your grammar inside and out. It's quite another to be able to teach it to someone else who doesnt speak your language. Classroom experience is crucial.

You won't have any trouble finding a job without a BA...like the Old Gringo notes, some immigration office need it, others don't. As well, some schools need it, others don't.

Don't even bother with Harmon Hall. You can't live on what they pay.

My bigger concern for you is your online cert. With that, your options may well be limited to Harmon Hall. Without a practical teaching component, or experience in front of students, you will likely not find a position in Mexico that pays more than 4 usd per hour.

I'm sure in some parts of Mexico, Harmon Hall schools pay on the low end of the scale compared to other schools. However, here in Merida, Harmon Hall's hourly wage is about average for language schools. Most local language schools in this city currently pay between 40 and 80 pesos per hour. Local HH schools were paying 55-60 pesos per hour the last I heard. City government EFL teaching jobs are currently paying 40 pesos per hour. One of the large private schools is paying its foreign language teachers less than 40 pesos per hour. The state university pays less than 60 pesos per hour, but it provides lots of benefits that other local schools don't have (health insurance, paid holidays, vales, a decent aguinaldo, etc.) and it has nearly zero turn-over of EFL teachers.

I might add, too, that the local Harmon Halls (2 schools) are among the very few schools in this city willing to employ untrained, inexperienced, short-term, foreign teachers. I'm not promoting HH schools and have no connection with them. However, for certain people wanting the experience of teaching and living in Mexico, I wouldn't rule out Harmon Hall as a possibility.

You can find work in DF w/o a degree. It also has the best pay. If I can provide you or anyone else with some general useful info, email me and request it. I have 4 years here. I also would't bother with HH in DF. Outside, it may be viable.

Y'know, I've discovered that here in Acapulco, like Yucatan, HH is on the higher end of the pay scale. Strange how it works. It's still low by DF standards, but that's what they all hate Chilangoes for right?